A detox diet is an effective way to lose a few pounds. This dietary regimen removes toxins and other contaminants from one’s body. As a result, it helps to clean the blood. It usually involves periods of fasting with just the consumption of fruits, juices, raw vegetables, and herbs.
Detox diet comes with a calorie restriction so therefore can help lose weight. Detoxing also helps to flush out the toxins, therefore, helps with overall health, digestion, energy level so you’ll feel healthier, cleansed and lighter.
Dr. Carolyn Ross, an integrative medicine specialist and author of Healing Body, Mind and Spirit confirms saying, “There is evidence that we are exposed to more toxins than our bodies are capable of handling, so detoxification is useful.”
How Do Detox Diets Work?
Most detox programs area round 3 to 21 days. During this period, you shouldn’t be having any fast foods, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and even meat, dairy or wheat. Mostly focus on vegetables and fruits raw or as juices. You can also include nutritional supplements such as protein powders.
But all of the detoxifying food and drinks are “cleansing” elements, like fiber and fluid, meant to remove metabolic wastes from your body. Here are few foods and drinks to consume in a detox diet.
NOTE: The below can be consumed consistently as a part of healthy balanced diet.
Detox Water
Water is a major component of any healthy diet. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends about 3.7 liters of fluid intake for men and 2.7 liters for women.
Therefore, make sure to have enough water as recommended and add any of the below ingredients to boost its health benefits.
- cucumber and mint
- lemon and ginger
- blackberry and orange
- lemon and cayenne pepper
- watermelon and mint
- grapefruit and rosemary
- orange and lemon
- lemon and lime
- strawberry and basil
- apple and cinnamon
To make detox water, add fruits, vegetables, and herbs to water and then let it infuse for a few hours. Crushing the fruits and herbs can help release more of their goodness into the fluid.
The benefits from this alone can lead to so many benefits:
- Clearer Skin = Cucumber + Lemon + Mint + Water
- Metabolism Booster = Apples + Cinnamon Stick + Water
- Stomach Bloat = Cucumber + Lemon + Mint + Ginger + Water
- Weight Loss = Cucumber + Grapefruit + Water
Did you know that consuming water during certain points of the day bring extra benefits?
- 2 Glasses after waking up to activate internal organs
- 1 Glass before a meal helps with digestion
- 1 glass before taking bath lowers blood pressure
- 1 glass before going to bed helps to avoid stroke or heart attack
Dates
Dates are quite yummy and known to be energetic. And they are more than that!
Eating 3 dates per day will boost your energy, improve digestion, increase iron levels, improve heart health, and relieve allergies. Dates supports our body to release energy instantly, therefore it’s popular during the fasting season. So, when on a detox diet, this is a dear friend.
Dates and date extracts support healthy liver function by allowing your body to naturally keeping waste and harmful substances out of your body.
Green Tea and Lemon Drink
This is a simple and refreshing drink to stir up! Make a green tea and squeeze ¼ lemon into it. Then, voila, it’s ready.
Green tea is a good source of catechins which helps to burn body fat naturally. And lemons help with weight loss due to the presence of powerful antioxidant as vitamin C and diuretic properties, both known to help with detoxifying.
Cruciferous Vegetables and Leafy Greens
Prominent examples are broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy, among others.
A 2015 study in the journal Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine reported these leafy veggies boost liver health through anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. They’re also high in fiber, which encourages the excretion of toxins through bile and stool. A complete win-win for your detox diet!
Spinach, asparagus, parsley among others contain chlorophyll, which helps with detoxification as it can bind heavy toxins and metals in your body.
And broccoli contains enzymes that help with fighting air pollution and cancer-causing chemicals.
Honey, Lemon & Ginger Drink
To make this energetic drink, add crushed ginger, lemon juice and honey to a glass of warm water. Then, stir well and drink it!
Starting your day with detox drink, will help you feel less bloated and more energetic throughout the day. This will flush out the toxins and helps a lot more with your detox diet by suppressing your appetite.
Avocado
A rising star among acres of healthy foods, this is known as “America’s new favourite fruit”. Avocados are packed with essential fatty acids needed for the release of bile from the gallbladder, elimination of toxins and fat-soluble vitamins from the body.
What’s more, the omega-3 fatty acids in avocados enhance your skin with a special glow. Avocado is an easy breakfast staple that can be enjoyed as a spread, filling, or smoothie bowl ingredient.
Pineapple Lemonade
It’s a tropical drink that not only quenches your thirst but also boosts your detox diet. The flavonoids, carotenes and polyphenols in pineapples neutralise and remove toxins from the bloodstream and liver.
To make your pineapple lemonade, combine raw pineapple juice with lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and salt. And stir very well.
Beets
Studies have proven that beets are a powerful antioxidant that support your detox diet directly.They contain a group of phytonutrients called betalains that support detoxification through an intensive detox step in the liver.
When your liver is able to easily push out the chemicals and toxins then body is better able to balance hormones, cholesterol and energy levels. All of these, help with weight loss and cleansing your body in the most natural way.
Here are a few ways to relish this pigmented vegetable:
- Mashed beets
- Pickled with or without eggs
- With risotto, gnocchi or tomato soup
- Seasoned with salt as a side
- As a sandwich filling
- As a dip
- As a juice with a little bit of lemon
Strawberry & Cinnamon Detox Drink
This is stunningly delicious drink that will take you to another dimension in seconds. All it takes is throwing in around 8 strawberries with a few mint leaves and one cinnamon stick in a jar with water. And let it infuse overnight in the fridge. The next morning, you’d have a heavenly drink in your hand.
Research confirms that strawberries help with the production of hormones such as adiponectin and leptin. Both these hormones help with weight loss by burning fat and improving our metabolic health.
Most importantly, strawberries are rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and help with insulin levels so they are an effective cleansing ingredient.What’s more, cinnamon comes with a slew of rich antioxidants that fight any and all radicals, so this too helps in cleansing your body.
If you don’t have any strawberries at home, feel free to substitute them with other types of berries. A 2011 study in the journal Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism found that berries are play a major role in body’s fight against toxins.
Turmeric
Also celebrated for its medicinal values, the “Indian Saffron” comes with a slew of health benefits including detoxification. Turmeric has a fat-soluble ingredient called curcumin, which is a powerful antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties. And it also ensures a smooth functioning of ‘bile duct,’ a liver cleanser
You could eat them directly, but you won’t be able to reap its full benefits. Therefore, here are few ways to include them in your detox diet.
- Daily Detox Water with Turmeric: Add 1/3 tablespoon of turmeric, honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in lukewarm water. And have it on empty stomach every day.
- Turmeric Broth: Think a simple with noodles, greens and legumes, chicken stock, rice and spinach. The only difference is you start by sautéing ingredients such as ginger, garlic and fresh turmeric powder and then build on with the usual broth ingredients.
- Turmeric Detox Tea: Boil the water with Ginger and then add a cinnamon stick with some turmeric powder and let it brew. Once you remove from the heat, squeeze ¼ lemon with honey and it’s ready to be slurped on.
Final Takeaway
Make sure your detox diet helps you to cleanse your body so you could start for a healthy lifestyle. This diet regimen is only a stepping stone to begin your caloric deficit. Follow the golden pyramid of fat loss to understand how to sustain your weight loss journey into the future. This way, you won’t gain the weight you shred during your detox diet and only become healthier.
This pyramid will help you determine whats most important in priority order, so you can focus more from bottom up.
Calorie Deficit – This is the only way to lose fat. If you reduce the portions, substitute with healthy meals, you can certainly get to the ideal number without doing a lot of exercise. Try this calorie deficit calculator for free to get your target: Click here to measure.
Protein Intake – Consume 0.7g to 1g per pound of bodyweight. Rest of the calories can come from whatever else you would normally eat.
Lifting Weights – Work out 2-5 times per week and focus on getting stronger over time. 30-60 minutes per session. Start on a low number and slowly increase the resistance/weight.
Sleep – You need to sleep at least 7-9 hours a night. Good sleep keeps your hunger levels in check and allows your body to properly recharge and recover from daily exercise.
Cardio – Great for mental clarity, stamina and endurance. Too much cardio does not mean weight loss. Recommendation is to do cardio at either at the start or at the end. Try to keep it around 10-15 minutes max in a 60 minute workout.
